RECIPES: Recipe Details

Roasted Garlic Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup and Avocado Slaw

This burger recipe was thought up while I was evacuated for our recent catastrophe in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina. I had a lot of time on my hands, and I was forcing myself to think of other things besides my husband, who was a first responder in the city, and whether or not I had a house or any personal belongings left. Fortunately, we were very lucky, but I think I got a couple of good recipes out of it.

Preparations To Prepare the Garlic: Peel as many outer layers of skin off the bulb while still keeping the bulb intact. Cut the first ½ inch off the top of the bulb to expose some of the cloves. Place the bulb on top of an appropriately sized sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil in order to wrap it later. Drizzle the bulb generously with olive oil. Loosely wrap the bulb in the foil to prepare for grilling. To Prepare Ketchup: Put ketchup into a small mixing bowl. Mix in the chipotle sauce until well blended. Cover and set aside for later use. To Prepare Avocado Slaw: Dice the avocado right before you begin to prepare the slaw. Put the diced avocado in a small bowl and squeeze the lime to cover the avocado with juice and toss lightly so it does not turn brown. Cover and set aside. Combine the mayonnaise and dill into a medium mixing bowl and blend well. In the same bowl, add the cabbage and mix well. Lastly, take the prepared avocado and lightly toss it into the cabbage mixture. Cover and set aside for later use. To Prepare the Patties: Put meat, salt, pepper, garlic in a big mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients just until incorporated. Do not over handle the mixture to prevent compacting. Divide the mixture into 6 even portions and form into patties. To Prepare the Roasted Garlic Butter: In a small mixing bowl, put the roasted garlic cloves and mash until smooth. Incorporate the softened butter. Set aside. Cooking Preheat a gas grill to medium high heat. When ready, brush the grill with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. To Cook the Garlic: Place the wrapped garlic bulb onto the preheated grill. Cover. Grill 45 minutes to an hour or until bulb is soft. When done, remove from heat and slightly open foil to allow the bulb to cool. Set aside. To Cook Patties: Place formed patties onto oiled grilling rack. Cover and allow this side to brown for 5 minutes. Turn patties over once and allow other side to brown for 5- 7 more minutes. This is medium. To Warm Buns: In the last minutes of grilling the patties, spread the roasted garlic butter on the cut side of the buns. Place the buns buttered side down until toasted. Remove from heat immediately and lay bottoms on a dish for assembly. Place a grilled patty on the bottom half of a toasted bun. Lightly spread 2 Tablespoons of the prepared ketchup on the patty. Place ½ cup of Avocado Slaw on top the chipotle ketchup. Add the toasted bun tops. Serve. Makes 6 servings.